Always a snag with our cars. Anxious to hear what the problem ends up being!
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Always a snag with our cars. Anxious to hear what the problem ends up being!
I saw on another site where a guy had remedied this with a brake cylinder hone and a long extension so I gave that a shot yesterday. It didnt help much and I'm afraid of getting metal particles in the motor so I just loaded the engine in my van and am going to drop it at the machine shop this week so they can figure it out.
The cam bearings seem to have been a problem for the last several years. I happened to drive by my buddy's machine shop yesterday.....I was a bit surprised to see his truck outside, so I dropped in. He was in the process of fighting the same tight cam bearing problem on a customers engine. It happened to be a Chrysler, but Ive seem him go thru this on GM and Fords too.
He's used several different things in the past to get the proper fit but in many cases has ended up having to install new bearings.
I don't know the answer, just adding a comment :confused:
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That's what i figured, Mike. They can put in another set of cam bearings in about 1/3 of the time that I can plus they have the equipment to do it right. It's worth a couple hundred bux for the peace of mind.
I got the motor back from the machine shop; they just polished the cam journals a bit and its fits fine now. The more I looked at my oil pump pickup the more I didn't like it so I got this one from Milodon for a deep sump pan and did a little surgery on it. This fits much better and has a bracket to hold it in place. I also got the heads checked and resurfaced and started some mild porting. Nothing wild, just cleaning up the bowls and combustion chambers and port matching the intake. As soon as I get it all back together, I need to hunt down a 727 trans and start doing some trial fitting in the chassis.
Looks good!
Nice work on the pick up. You can search for a 518. It's just a 727 with an overdrive on the back of it. And you can run the OD via a toggle switch, or vacuum switch.
I thought about it but I'd have to have an adapter plate or an Ultra Bell for the big block bellhousing pattern. Not in the budget right now but maybe down the road.
Got the short block finished up today along with one head ported and back together. Hopefully I can get the other head finished and have them bolted on in a week or so. Lots of hours at work for the next 6 weeks so I don't have much fun time to spare.
Sad day today; my #1 garage partner Monica went home to Jesus. 15 years old; she was a good friend. :(
I feel for you mate.
It's always a wrench when you lose a pal.
If a 518 is a real probability in the future, you probably want to at least get the measurements on the OD section of the trans. They take up a lot more room than the skinny tail housing of a 727....you don't want to do the trans tunnel twice.
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I'm not so much a cat person, but a pet is a pet is a pet, and they are all loved, and they all love unconditionally. This is somewhat of a comfort - The Rainbow Bridge Poem - The beautiful journey of a pet after death.
Nice; thanks, Roger.
Mike, I think I'm going to stick with a 727. I just picked one up yesterday, in fact.
Sorry to hear about your Cat. My dogs are my constant companions so to think of losing them leaves a hole in my heart.
Love my cats and dogs, and it is always sad when one goes home. If we are lucky another will adopt us and help to fill the hole left behind.
Thoughts are with you my friend...
Yeah, she was good one. Always listened to my complaints and never asked for anything besides a meal and the occasional belly scratch. I've got another cat and I can tell he really misses her; he's been crying and looking for her for several days. I'll have to get him another companion soon.
Finished up the heads today; should have them bolted on this week.
Nice work, and sorry to hear about your cat!
I got the motor buttoned up today; time to bolt it to the trans and start building mounts and figuring out headers.
Looking good. Your making nice progress Falcon.
I did some trial fitting today and got the motor mounts built. Luckily I was able to reuse the mounting pads I built for the SHO motor and just moved them back. Also, the cutout I had made in the firewall for the SHO was the perfect width for the new engine. The big snafu looks like the factory steering box has to go; the motor is too wide. Looks like she getting a rack-n-pinion conversion. Also had to do some trans tunnel surgery but that was pretty minor. I ordered some block hugger headers and the next step is to modify the cross member for the trans.
Some good progress there, and the motor mounts worked out sweet! Firewall too!
Looks right at home in there!!!
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That looks really nice in there!
Thanks! I spent the morning at the boneyard and picked up a Cavalier rack and pinion and a shifter from a Jag XJ-12. I have the same rack on my 48 so it should be a relatively easy swap. The shifter is cable actuated and has a spring loaded side to side action rather than a release button so I'm going to modify the shifter lever that I had on the five speed to fit.
Just read the entire thread and am very impressed, You do an excellent job at body and paint. I'm doing an engine swap as well in a '62 Merc unibody. I haven't decided on which way to go yet but I know there's no sbc or bbc going into it, I have a 2000 Dakota that may give up it's 3.9L drivetrain for my beast. although I'm not stuck on using the slushbox in it. Any ideas on an adaptor to use the original tranny from the M100?
There's a lot of videos on You Tube of people building various motor to transmission adapters; you might try watching a few of those. The AX-15 5 speed that was used in the Dakotas is a pretty good trans and bolts right up to your V6. Lots of Jeep guys use them and I had one behind a 318 in my 51 Plymouth.
I got my cross member re-built today: I was able to reuse the one I had built for the SHO motor by moving the mounting plate and adapting a GM trans rear mount. I also notched it on both sides for exhaust clearance. I got headers trial fitted but had to do some frame notching for clearance. I'll box those sections when I pull the motor back out to finalize the mounts and rebuild the trans.
Time to start test mounting the rack and see how the steering is going to work out.
Lookin' good!!
Nice work! Your headers look to be a nice fit too!
I pulled the drive train back out so I could make the rack and pinion mounts and box the frame where I notched it. When I did this swap on my 48 I bought some tie rod adapters that adapted Ford Explorer tie rods ends to the Cavalier rods; this time I figured I'd just make some. There was already an adapter that screwed into the Cavalier tie rod so I cut the end off of the Plymouth tie rod, ground the adapter down so it would fit inside, welded it, and put a tie rod clamp on it. With the Explorer tie rods you had to re-size the steering arm taper; this way I can just use stock 49 Plymouth tie rod ends. Now I need to patch the trans tunnel where I cut it, and take it all back apart to clean it up and paint it.
More great work!
Times 2! You're moving right along now..
Thanks, guys; much appreciated.
Yes x3 Progress Progress Progress, throw some of that my way ;)
Today was cleanup day; I had grinding dust and tools everywhere. I rolled the car out and gave it a quick blow off and wash and touched up the paint on the frame along with starting the tear down on the 727. It sat in a shed for many years so I figured I rebuild it. Now the shop is clean; I can trash it again.
True hot rodding - making, fitting, adapting. Nicely done. But enough compliments . . . I have to go clean up MY shop.
Thanks! Clean shops are nice; too bad they never last very long.
Music to my ears! LOL.. :eek::LOL:Quote:
Originally Posted by falconvan
Now I'll have to go clean mine. It needs it desperately!:(
Sounds like I've started a community guilt trip!